New Zealand

Tongariro National Park

WHS Score 3.67
rate
Votes 45 Average 4.02
Show votes
Votes for Tongariro National Park

2.0

  • Clem C

2.5

  • Solivagant

3.0

  • Julio Moreno
  • Ralf Regele
  • Richard Stone
  • Rich Forrest
  • Zoë Sheng

3.5

  • Dennis Nicklaus
  • Dimitar Krastev
  • Frederik Dawson
  • Gary Arndt
  • George Gdanski
  • Linz
  • MichaelH
  • MoPython
  • Naim Y
  • nan
  • Shandos Cleaver
  • Wimmy

4.0

  • Bodil Ankerly
  • Christoph
  • Jay T
  • Kevin247
  • mikeyboyracer
  • Nicole Lampos
  • PabloNorte
  • Wieland

4.5

  • Carlo Sarion
  • Hanming
  • João Aender
  • Tyler.Lambert
  • Zizmondka

5.0

  • Carlo Medina
  • chapnis
  • Csaba Nováczky
  • Francky D'Hoop
  • JobStopar
  • MaxHeAnouBen
  • Mstrebl1990
  • Preiki
  • Roel Sterken
  • Roman Raab
  • scubarrie
  • shep894
  • Van Hung

Tongariro National Park is an associative cultural landscape of volcanoes that hold spiritual connections for the Maori.

The active volcanic mountains Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe, and Tongariro are located at the centre of this park on the North Island of New Zealand, and show a range of volcanic features. The mountain summits are of great significance for the cultural identity of the local Maori people.

Community Perspective: hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a fantastic way to see the park. Nan has described what this involves.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Tongariro National Park (ID: 421)
Country
New Zealand
Status
Inscribed 1990 Site history
History of Tongariro National Park
1987: Deferred
Better Man plan needed regarding skiing etc
1989: Deferred
Management plan awaiting OK
1990: Inscribed
Inscribed
1992: Criteria
More info required to decide if could be extended on cultural criteria
1993: Criteria
Cultural criteria added
WHS Type
Mixed
Criteria
  • vi
  • vii
  • viii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Volcanic
  • Cultural Landscape: Associative
Travel Information
One million visitors or more
One million visitors or more
About one million people visit Tongariro National Park each year. (off website 2025) // …
Recent Connections
View all (28) .
Connections of Tongariro National Park
Geography
  • Crater Lakes
  • Pacific Ring of Fire
  • Volcanic Cone
    Mount Ngauruhoe
  • Submerged continent
    Zealandia
  • Recently Active Volcanoes
    Ngauruhoe is the main active vent in the park with eruptions rarely more than 9 years apart. It has been quiet since 1975 -the longest such period in recorded history
  • Antipodes points
    HISTORIC CITY OF TOLEDO=TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK N39 52 00.8 W4 01 45.9 = S39 17 27 E175 33 44 (plus the other southern meseta sites in Spain, like Almadén, Aranjuez, Madrid, Alcalá, El escurial, Elvas, Mérida, Cáceres)
  • Glaciers
    Wiki states "Small glaciers are present on the summit of Mt. Ruapehu today.....Glaciers were last present on Tongariro during the Last Glacial Maximum"
  • Polynesia
Trivia
  • Tourist Treks
    Tongariro Northern Circuit, a two to four day tour, which is one of New Zealand's nine Great Walks
  • One million visitors or more
    About one million people visit Tongariro National Park each year. (off website 2025) // Of the 1 million annual visitors to the national park, large numbers of visitors do short walks within or on the fringes of the park (see link)
Ecology
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Sacred Mountains
    Mounts Ruapehu, Ngaruhoe and Tongariro are sacred to the Maori
  • Taboo
    "There are a number of Maori religious sites within the park, and many of the park's summits, including Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu, are tapu, or sacred." (wiki)
  • Living indigenous religions
    The peaks are spoken of with the same reverence and feeling as tribal ancestors, ensuring that the connection is one of spirituality as well as culture.(AB ev)
Human Activity
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
WHS Names
18
News
nzherald.co.nz 09/24/2017
Tongariro National Park - the gift…
nzherald.co.nz 11/21/2012
Mount Tongariro erupts: ash and ga…
nzherald.co.nz 08/07/2012
Mt Tongariro erupted
Recent Visitors
View all (151)
Visitors of Tongariro National Park
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

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First published: 25/05/24.

Carlo Sarion

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park (Inscribed)

Tongariro National Park by Carlo Sarion

Tongariro National Park boasts a couple of records. First, it is the first national park in New Zealand and one of the oldest national parks in the world. Second, it is the first to be inscribed (in 1993) under the revised criteria that describe cultural landscapes and their intangible cultural values. There's nothing much to say about the OUV of this site: it is breathtakingly beautiful (criterion VII), geologically active (criterion VIII), and culturally significant to tangata whenua (Māori) (criterion VI). It's also great to note that its 2020 conservation outlook is rated “good”.

And so I'd focus my review on a few things. I have so far visited this site on two separate occasions--one that involved a lot of rain and panic attacks from driving on the left side of the road (Dec 2020), and an overall great visit with heaps of sun and blue skies (Mar 2024).

1. But where are the cultural monuments?

As mentioned, Tongariro National Park is one of those mixed sites whose inscription is based on the intangible cultural association of its natural sites. The local iwi (Māori tribes) of Ngati Tuwharetoa and Ngati Rangi consider the volcanoes in the area (Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe) sacred spiritual and cultural entities. A tuku (an act of shared custodianship with the New Zealand government) made in 1887 enabled its eventual establishment as a national park in 1894. This shows that the establishment of the national park itself manifests its deep association with Māori …

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First published: 24/03/20.

Nan

Tongariro National Park By Nan

Tongariro National Park (Inscribed)

Tongariro National Park by Nan

We were sitting in Wellington having (probably) another pricey NZ beer. It was Friday afternoon and we were planning to drive to Tongariro the next day (Saturday) with the Transalpine Crossing, New Zealand's most famous hike, planned for Sunday. It was then that we decided to check the national park website again to take a look at the trail. But instead we found a big info box stating that a Rahui had been put in place and all trails were closed. Rahui wtf?

You need to know that Tongariro is still a holy site for the local Maori. That's also why it's a mixed site. When someone dies in the National Park, they believe the spirits of the mountain need a time of peace. So they close down all trails along the mountain and that's a rahui. This happens repeatedly each year as hikers regularly die on the mountain. In an effort to make the risks associated to the crossing, the authorities in 2007 renamed the trail from "Tongariro Crossing" to "Tongariro Transalpine Crossing". 

To cope we rearranged our plans and hiked on Monday. And while Sunday was sunny, Monday was the opposite: rainy and windy. Views were really limited and when we came down the mountain I was fully soaked. Luckily, we also visited the Southern part of the National Park on Saturday, so I got some nice views.

In the end, it turns out that the rahui was put in place thanks to …

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First published: 14/03/17.

Gary Arndt

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park (Inscribed)

Tongariro National Park by Gary Arndt

I visited Tongariro National Park in 2007.

It is a lovely park situated in the center of the North Island of New Zealand.

Tongariro is best known in popular culture as the real life location of Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings Movies.

Getting here is easy to do by car and there are many tours and trekking options inside the park.

Read more about Tongariro National Park on my website.

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First published: 25/10/15.

Jay T

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park (Inscribed)

Tongariro National Park by Jay T

From the moment you walk along the rise and see the volcanic plain stretching across to the mountains it becomes clear: this is Mordor. It's not surprising, then, that Peter Jackson filmed scenes from The Lord of the Rings in Tongariro National Park. I hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in 2010, and it was the best hike I did in New Zealand and was a fantastic way to see the park. From the eastern side of the trail, the lower stretches follow a stream through woodlands, but the vegetation soon disappears giving great views of the forests below and fumaroles steaming off the side of the mountain. Upon reaching the summit, hikers cross a volcanic plain dominated by Mount Tongariro and Mount Ngauruhoe, which are still active. The climb up the saddle of Mount Tongariro, the highest point of the trail, rewarded me with an incredible vista across the North Island. The Tongariro Crossing is a one day hike I highly recommend if you want to get a good feel for the park. Just be sure to bring plenty of water!

Logistics: The hike is best done with either a car at each end of the trail or by arranging a taxi or shuttle to drop and/or pick you up.

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First published: 01/05/05.

Anonymous

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park (Inscribed)

Tongariro National Park by Nan

The most magnificent sight was an early morning - snow covered Ngauruhoe volcanoe on pink sky. I will never forget it.

In general - incredible mix of fierce wilderness, unusual beauty and hospitality of local people. If you are lucky enough to visit the site - try at least the track named Tongariro Crossing (consult tourism bureau before - often weather up there is too dangerous). It takes rather weary day, but it is incredible to walk so quickly from forests through tussock above snow line and back.

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First published: 01/05/05.

John Booth

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park (Inscribed)

Tongariro National Park by Nan

There are three snow capped peaks within the national park, all of which are active volcanoes. I have witnessed on several occasions smoke, ash and lava spewing from various vents on the mountains, particularly Mt.Ngauruhoe. The crater lake on the summit of Mount Ruapehu periodically overflows, tipping its contents of hot water down its slopes.

Despite these hazards, in the summer the mountains are used by trampers following the various trails marked out on the landscape. In the winter it is a mecca for ski fanatics, with chair lifts and rope tows heading off in all directions.

There is a plethora of lodges on Mount Ruapehu, as well as at its foot. The area can be reached by rail services from Auckland and Wellington

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